The only thing all humans share is that we are all born and we all die. Yet we often feel disconnected, lonely, or isolated in our journeys through these experiences. The Birth/Death Project seeks to change that, one story at a time, weaving our truths together. We are a community-based performance and oral history project exploring our human experiences of birth and death.
People of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences from across Western MA (specifically Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties) are being interviewed about their personal experiences of birthing and dying. The interviews will be preserved in a permanent public archive, hosted by Forbes Library in Northampton, MA, and available to all, in-person and online.
These stories inspire performance pieces that we present in our diverse local communities across the Connecticut River Valley: we started with sharings in all three counties of the initial work-in-progress in the summer of 2026 using the first wave of interviews; we have continued interviewing and are building to a more fully realized and polished production to share in August of 2027; and we intend to continue interviewing and sharing different iterations of the performance piece for years to come.
Our public sharing of the work-in-progress at The LAVA Center (Greenfield, MA) June 2026
We prioritize accessibility in our interview process and in our public performances. Interviewees retain full rights of consent to their stories' inclusion in every phase of the project, and can revoke their consent at will. Performances are sometimes free, sometimes offered on a sliding scale (free is always an option for anyone), and we rely heavily on donations and community partnerships in order to sustain and expand the project.
Our public sharing of the work-in-progress at the Holyoke Public Library (Holyoke, MA) July 2026
The powerful feedback we have already received from those interviewed and from audiences at our sharings is a resounding cry for the needfulness of this work. A performance collage inspired by the real stories local people have shared with our project being woven together to share our personal and collective joy, grief, wonder, fear, amazement, mess, glory, hilarity, pain, and connection, offers our communities a moving reminder of what it feels like to be truly human, together.
We build an altar at each sharing, with invitations for audience members to add their own writings and drawings about their loved ones and their thoughts on birth and death
Our leadership team is Lena Vani, Ellen Morbyrne, Rachel Hall, and Trenda Loftin. Visit www.reallivetheatre.net/birth-death-project to learn all about our interview and performance teams, and to stay updated on our journey!
